A Long december
by CookieMonster818
Summary: I just couldn't handle the end of the show the way they left it, so here's what I imagined happens. right now rated k, may change in future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

A long December

Jane was walking from class to the front yard. In the hallway she saw Billy and Zoe and turned around to take the long way out. It's gonna be a long winter. She could not believe how jealous she was. They've only been dating for a few weeks and yet this thing felt like it's consuming her life. She wished she could go back and not have heard that "it's you" that ruined everything. Up until then she had never seen Billy in any sort of romantic way but now that it was out there, there was no ignoring it. She loves him, and she knows it know. And even worst, ever since he came back things have been so weird and tense, it's like they're not even friends anymore. She felt very confused but she knew the thing that would be most helpful- talking to Billy- wasn't an option. So she decided to go for the next best thing (or at least the next acceptable thing), and that's how she found herself knocking on miss Shaw's door.

"Miss Shaw? Can we talk?" Jane said quietly while entering her office and closing the door.

"Hi Jane, sure. What's up?" Rita smiled at her warmly trying to hide her concern regarding Jane's unusual request.

"So...um...I was just..." Jane stuttered.

"Do you need a second to organize your thoughts?" miss Shaw asked.

"That's sort of the problem. I usually process and sort things out when I'm talking to Billy, but right now that's not really an option."

"Okay. And why isn't that an option?"

"Well because now that he and Zoe are together he doesn't really have as much time for me, and me and Zoe don't really get along so the three of us hanging out isn't an option... and also because It's about him and it's things I can't tell him right now. Possibly never."

"All right, well do you want to tell me? I can say from experience just saying things out load and maybe getting a second opinion can help you get some perspective."

"Yeah I guess I need to talk that's why I'm here. You know how Billy went to jail? So the night before I had this fashion show thing from the internship in the city and he showed up there and said "It's you Janey", but then someone came in and he ran out and we never got to finish that conversation. After he came back he was all weird and distant and when I tried to bring it up he said it was because he was nervous and in a bad place. But I feel like ever since I heard it it's flipped some switch in my mind and…I can't look at him the way I did before anymore. I think... I might be in love with him. Or at least attracted to him, while also loving him like a friend. Does that make sense? Either way he doesn't seem to feel the same way anymore or he won't admit it and now he's met Zoe and they're together and I don't want to ruin that for him, but I feel like he's getting away from me and we're not even best friends anymore and I just feel… lost and alone without him.

"Okay well that's a lot to process in 30 seconds. Let's see if I followed- Billy likes you, he leaves for a while and comes back supposedly not liking you anymore, but now you like him and he's in another relationship and you feel neglected."

"That pretty much sums it up."

"If you want my opinion Jane I gotta tell you that being honest is always the best choice. You should tell him how you feel about what's happening. I understand you are afraid to ruin your relationship with Billy, but it doesn't sound like it's going well right now. If he has all the information he can make a choice for himself, but right now you're deciding for him and against yourself out of fear. You should take some time to think this over of course but I learned that being true to yourself is always in your best interest. And another thing I've learned is that sometimes in life relationships change. Sometimes something can work for 10 years in a row and then stop. Don't just stay somewhere that's no longer comfortable out of habit. You miss out on too much playing it so safe."

"I can't tell him I love him! He has a girlfriend, and I'm not even sure I really do."

"That's your choice, but you can tell him you miss him and you feel like something's changed. When you're that close to someone you should be able to talk openly with them regardless of their love life. The only way to maintain a good relationship is to talk about the problems and work out the kinks. So I'm sorry Jane, I can't really solve this problem for you, you have to do it on your own. But I do hope you feel a little better about that."

"I do. Thanks miss Shaw. I should go if I want to make my train. Have a good day."

"Thank you. Be brave, and remember if you need to talk my door is always open."

Jane ran out of the office, she needed to hurry if she wanted to make the train, and she definitely didn't have the mental powers to deal with an angry Gray. She barely made the train and when she sat down she was glad to have some time with herself to consider miss Shaw's advice. She still didn't know what to do, when her cell buzzed and it was a text from Billy. "Hey. Miss you. Let's hang out tonight." Her heart leaped in her chest and then sank. She can't tell him, he's happy and she won't ruin it. She wasn't sure she could face another conversation about Zoe, so she texted back "Me too! I'd love too but I'm super busy at work. Let's talk later…" knowing they wouldn't. Yep, gonna be a long winter.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: thank you for the reviews! I'm kind of busy so forgive me if it takes a while to update but as of now I plane to continue this. Also, the details my not be totally matching to the show, just go with it.

The weekend was just around the corner. Jane spent the whole week dodging Billy, but now the weekend was coming around and she had zero plans. Damn him for being such a good friend that she didn't really need anyone else and didn't have a girlfriend or a backup plan. Her week at work was draining and Gray was being extra bitchy but at least she was abroad now so Jane had the weekend off to relax with nothing to do but contemplate her lame existence. Now that Ben was on the road and Billy was painful to hang out with, most of her time out of work was spent alone. As she was walking to her lit class trying to calculate the exact time left until the bell rang so she'd arrive right on time and Billy won't try to talk to her, she turned a corner down the hall and almost slammed into Nick. "Crap!" she said. "Nice to see you too" he answered. She couldn't stop her smile. "Sorry, I'm kind of distracted. How are you?"

"Yeah, I can tell. Pretty good, and you?"

"Busy. Tired. You're not interested in that. I'm fine, thank you."

"Jeez Jane, looks like that internship is really taking its toll. You should take a break and relax, do something fun. Are you coming to Zack's party tonight?"

"I don't believe I've been invited."

"Everyone's invited. His parents are out of town and we're throwing a party for the team after the game, win or lose. You should come."

"Well, I'm not such a party animal. We'll see. Thanks for the invite."

"Sure. I'm going to class. See you tonight hopefully." Nick smiled at her and walked away.

"See ya." Well that's an interesting turn of events Jane thought. So weekend option suddenly appeared even though the source was dubious. On the one hand, she really didn't have anything better to do. On the other, she's not sure this is a much better alternative. Either Billy won't be there and she'll have no one to talk to, or he will be there with Zoe and then she'll spend the night feeling jealous and insecure. And as an add bonus she gets to watch her ex-boyfriend (if he qualifies as such she wasn't sure) hit on random girls. She almost convinced herself to skip this party as she entered class and saw Billy sitting in her seat. Damn him, since when is he in class on time? He gave her a wide and genuine smile that she couldn't help but return.

"Hey there stranger"

"Hey Billy"

"Where were you hiding? You disappeared on me the whole week!"

"Oh, you know just classes and stuff…"

"Well you won't get away with it this weekend! As your best friend I refuse to be ignored any longer."

Luckily at this point the teacher walked in and class started so they couldn't continue the conversation. Class was unbelievably long and boring and Jane couldn't wait for it to end. As soon as the bell rang she took her things and tried to make a run for it but failed. Billy grabbed her shoulder and said "Janey wait up!" she stopped defeated and turned around.

"So about this weekend, let's hang out already. I feel like I haven't seen you in forever."

"Well, you've been busy…" she trailed off.

He looked down at his shoes and shuffled his feet. "I know but let's fix that. Come to Zack's party tonight with me?"

"You're going? That's not your usual crowd."

"I Know but Zoe's made friends with Harper and some of the other girls who are all going and she wants to go. She'll probably hang out with them all night and I could use a friend too. Besides it won't kill us to socialize."

"I don't know Billy, I've got a lot of work and-"

He cut her off. "Just come after. Please Janey? For me?" he looked at her with a pretend sad face and she couldn't resist. She let out a sigh. "Ugh. Fine."

"Yes! That's great."

"Okay so I have to get to work."

"Right. So I'll see you tonight."

"Tonight"

Jane turned around and started walking away. Well, it could be fun she thought to herself. Maybe, if she's lucky.

When she finally left the office that night and had time to check her phone there were 2 missed calls and 3 texts from Billy. She called him back to let him know she was on her way and he told her the team one and the party was off to a pretty good start. She stopped at home to change into a cute burgundy dress and redo her makeup thinking that if she looked good she'd have a better chance at having fun. When she finally got to the party it was already in full swing and drunk people were everywhere. She looked around for Billy until she found him on the other side of the room talking to some guy who she recognized by face but didn't know his name. She crossed the room to get to him.

"Janey! You came!" he pulled her into a heart melting hug. By the length of the hug she could tell he's been drinking too.

"Hey. A little drunk are we?" she asked with a smile.

"Maybe, but don't tell anyone. It's a secret." She couldn't believe how cute he was like this.

"Where's Zoe?"

"Upstairs with the girls. They planned some sort of dance or skit or something for the team I don't know."

"Huh. So you're into cheerleaders now?"

"What can I say, I just can't resist the pompoms. But seriously she's not a cheerleader yet and she's really cool. I wish you two would get to know each other already. I made the effort with nick."

"You're right. I promise to go to try outs next time they have them." Jane giggled at her own joke.

"I'd love to see that." Nick said from behind her.

"Oh I was just kidding. No cheering for me." Jane said.

"Why? I bet you'd be pretty good at it." Nick answered.

"Yeah, definitely." Billy chimed in.

Jane gave him a glare. "You, shush. Nick, it's not about to happen."

"We'll see." Nick said. "So I'm glad you came. You two should join us in the kitchen, we're about to start playing never have I ever."

"Fun! Let's go." Billy grabbed Jane's hand and dragged her into the kitchen before she had the chance to resist. Oh god she thought to herself, this night was just beginning.


End file.
